Chi-Town Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I trust that everyone will enjoy a happy thanksgiving with the family and friends. I plan on doing the same.
After a great day of eating and family fellowship, it's off to Chicago with the Billikids for a very intriging weekend of baskeball.
The Bills will take on Big XII member Iowa State in the third game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. Tip off is at 5 p.m. and the UIC Pavilion on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago. Notre Dame and Northwestern will follow in the nightcap.
On Saturday, we will either play Notre Dame or Northwestern at either 4:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. depending on Friday's results.
The Cyclones are 5-0 and will represent the biggest challenge for the Billikens in the young season. They are big, deep, talented and boast a bonafide NBA first-rounder in the lineup. The Cyclones are averaging 86 points a game while shooting 53 percent from the field as a team, which leads the nation.
Their All-American candidate is 6'10" junior Craig Brackins, who is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds a game. He can do it all. He can score in the post or step out and hit the jumper. When you can drop 42 points on the Kansas Jayhawks, you have some serious game.
Brackins has plenty of help up front. Marcus Gilstrap is a mature 6'6" senior forward who is averaging 14 points and a team-leading nine rebounds a game. There is also the 6'11" pair of sophomore Justin Hamilton and senior Jamie Vanderbeken. Both average about 14 minutes a game.
If that wasn't enough size, there is also robust 6'9" juco transfer LeRon Denby, who had 16 points in Iowa State's first game, but hasn't played since because of injury. Not sure if he's going to play or not on Friday. Either way, we will have our hands full.
Their top perimeter threat is 6'5" junior LUcca Staiger, a native of Germany. He is averaging 11 points while shooting a toasty 50 percent from 3-point range. The point guard is 6'4" junior Diante Garrett, who is averaging nearly eight assists a game. Sophomore guard Scott Christoper has also been playing well at 11 points a game.
Iowa State coach Greg McDermott may have his best team since taking over in Ames four years ago. McDermott enjoyed immense success at Northern Iowa, where he guided the Panthers to two NCAA Tournament berths.
Success has been a little bit harder to come by in the hyper-competitive Big XII. Despite the presence of great programs such as Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Mizzou and others, the folks in Ames are used to seeing their Cyclones in the mix, so this is a pivotal year for McDermott. The Big XII is loaded again this year, but Iowa State could be a surprise team. On a side note, one of McDermott's assistant coaches is Daniyel Robinson, who is the younger brother of former Billiken forward David Robinson, a starter and key player for the Billikens two NCAA Tournament teams in 1994 and 1995.
For the Billikens to be successful against the Cyclones, they must continue to play stout half-court defense. When you play against a team that averages in the high 80's, you must do a couple of things to keep them below their average.
You have to limit your turnovers, which could lead to easy fast break points. You have to limit their offensive rebounds, which lead to easy layups. That has been an issue with us so far this season. We must take high-percentage shots on offense with good floor balance. Poor shots with bad floor balance could lead to easy run-outs buckets for the other team. For the most part, we have been good at getting the ball to the right man in the right spot for a quality shot. It would be nice to avoid that seven or eight minute lull when we struggle to score. We have to keep that to a minimum.
You have to make teams score consistently against your good half-court defense and get the rebound should they miss. Try to disrupt their rhythm and make them take shots that they are not used to taking. A tall order yes, but necessary if you're going to knock off one of the big boys.
Offensively, we must make them guard us consistently and continue to move the ball and find the open man. I look for Brian Conklin to step up and have an effective game inside to support Willie Reed. I suspect he'll have Brackins to start with, so it will be a challenge. Brian must stay out of foul trouble, especially early on.
Overall, I'm looking forward to this weekend. The kids are playing well and with a lot of confidence. It is still early and many lessons are to be learned, but I'm glad to have these two games against a good Iowa State game and either Notre Dame of Northwestern.
Playing four games in seven days can be taxing on a team without a lot of depth, but at the same time, it's a chance to develop some good team chemistry and flow.
Look forward to seeing many of you Bills fans in Chicago over the weekend. If you can't make it, you can listen to the call on 101-ESPN with me and my Hall of Fame play-by-play partner Bob Ramsey. The pre-game show begins at about 4:45 p.m. Have fun.
And always, Go Bills.